Fife coupling



P. HIRSCH E1" AL .L 4 m om 2 Q m PIPE COUPLING Original Filed Sept. 22,1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS: fter film-cl: BY kadolf Kaiser i. O. \J

AGENT.

Dec. 23, 1941. P. HIRSCH ET AL Re. 21,984

PIPE COUPLING Original Filed Sept. 22, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors.-Peter [fin h Rudolf Kaiser M "Y mum.

Reissued Dec. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PEPE COUPLING PeterHirsch, New York, N. Y., and Rudolf Kaiser,

Hohenneuendorf, signers to Michigan son, Mich.

Original No.

6 Claims.

to fluid operated brakes into the vehicle wheels to pipe couplings forThis invention relates which are incorporated and more particularlybrakes of this type.

Liquid operated brakes for wheels of vehicles heretofore have beenexclusively constructed so that the wheel body had to be separated fromthe brake, if the wheel was to be removed e. g. for the repair of thetire and it was only necessary to take the wheel body off the axleleaving the brake casing together with its liquid carrying conduits,untouched. This design has been developed and is in general use withautomobiles, because the removal of the brake would requiredisconnecting the latter from the pipes or conduits carrying the liquidand serious difficulties would arise when such a removal and reassemblybecomes necessary on account of the time consuming refilling and primingof the brake system dueto a loss of liquid in the fluid system or due tothe inclusion of air in the system.

At present all brakes forthe wheels of vehicles are constructed in amanner which may best be explained, by way of example, in connectionwith the wheels-of an aircraft because in this case the most difficultoperating conditions prevail. Owing to the constantly increased flyingspeed of aircrafts the landing speed also is increased in the sameproportion and it is practically impossible to compensate the increasedlanding speed by longer run outs. Therefore, the brake has to absorb theincreased kinetic energy, i. e, such energy must be converted into heatand the heat must be absorbed and dissipated. The enlargement of thebrake itself is limited on account of the space available within thewheel and the increased amount of heat developed endangers the safety ofoperation because an increased amount of heat, on the one hand, may leadto a destruction of the brake lining respectively of the brakingsurfaces and, on the other hand, may damage the tire. In fact, animproved brake for the wheels of aircraft represents one of the mostimportant problems in the further development of aircraft.

What has been mentioned above in connection with the brakes of thewheels of an aircraft is also true for liquid operated brakes of otherfast vehicles, as the diiiiculties encountered in braking such vehiclesare the same as for aircrafts.

The present invention is based upon the knowledge .that the efficiencyof a brake of given weight and dimensions can be increased only it nearBerlin, Germany, as- Patents Corporation, Jack- 2,108,7l4, datedFebruary 15, 1938, Serial No. 102,023, September cation for reissueApril 20,

In Germany September 28, 1935 22, 1938. Appli- 1940, Serial No.

surface available 101' dissipation and cooling is' ensured withoutincrease of weight.

Our new wheel and brake design has been made possible by the utilizationof a self sealing pipe coupling provided in each pipe carrying brakefluid to the vehicle wheels. Both coupling parts of the ,coupling areequipped with an automatically acting self sealing valve positively heldopen if the coupling is connected and being automatically closed if thecoupling is disconnected. Pipe couplings of the kind referred to areknown per se but heretofore the advantage of the use of such pipecouplings and its effect on the design of vehicle wheels provided withliquid operated brakeshas not been recognized.

In fact it is the present invention which first allowed the developmentof a combined wheel and brake design and thereby led to wheels withbrakes of equal 'weight and dimension and with greatly increased brakecapacity as compared with those of prior design.

Accordingly, it is among the objects of the invention to provide a fluidoperated brake which is incorporated in the wheel of a vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self sealing couplingfor the conduit of the fluid operating the brake of the wheel.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a self sealing couplingwith valves positively held open when the coupling is connected andwhich are closed automatically when the coupling is disconnected.

These and other objects of the present invention will become moreevident in the following description taken in connection with thedrawings, in which:

I Fig. 1 is a section along line l-l of Fig. 2 showing a brake and wheelunit;

Fig. 1A is a fragmentary view of a detail of Fig. 1 illustrating theassembled coupling together with the brake fluid conducting hose and aportion of the wheel body.

2 is a plan view of the assembly shown in Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectionthrough the couthe other hand, the

pling according to the invention in the coupled state;

Fig. 4 a cross-section similar to Fig. 3, but through one coupling partin the uncoupled state;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section similar to Fig. 4 through the other couplingpart;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of detail.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, wheel 40 comprises two substantially equalhalves 42 and 43 connected together e. g. by screw bolts. The couplingfor the fluid conduit 45 is generally designated 4I.

wheel body are provided with ribs 44 to reinforce the wheel body. Thefluid in conduit 45 operates the brake generally designated 46 which maybe of any known construction. Brake 46 forms a unit with the wheel 40.

As shown in Figs. 3 to 6 the coupling consists of a socket-like part Iand a spigot-like part 2, which are fixed to the ends of the pipes to beconnected, which are not shown. Fixing can for instance be effected bymeans of the internal thread 3 provided in the coupling part I and withthe coupling part 2 by means of the external thread 4,

The coupling part I has a chamber 5 for the reception of the ball 6. Iis the seating surface for the ball. which co-acts with the ball and, onthe ball bearing against it, provides a tight closure. The ball is underthe influence 01' a compression spring 8 which is held by means of a nut9 screwed into the internal thread 3. Similarly, in the coupling part 2there is a chamber III with a ball II, the sealing surface I2 for thelatter, the compression spring I3 and a nut I4 which is screwed into theinternal thread I5.

The connection of the two coupling parts I and 2 is effected as follows:

The coupling part I is provided with an engagement surface I6 whichallows of the coupling part being held to prevent turning, for in-Coupling 4I is shown in greater detail I in Figs. 3 to 6. The two halves42 and 43 of the stance by means of a spanner, a clamp or the like. Inthe example shown, this engagement surface I6 is formed as a hexagon,but in some circumstances a fluted cylindrical surface will sufiice.Below this surface I6 the coupling part I is provided with an extensionI1 (Fig. 4), which has an external thread I8 for screwing on the cap nutI9. The space within the coupling part I widens out behind the valveseating I, so as to form a chamber -2 I, the purposeof which will bedescribed below. The extension II is made of somewhat smaller diameterat its lower end, so that an annular flange 22 is formed. In this flangetwo oppositely disposed slots 23 are provided, for the bayonet-likeengagement of the lateral projections 24 at the end of the coupling part2. When the coupling part I (Fig. 4) is to be connected with thecoupling part 2 (Fig. 5), the part I is held at the periphery I6 toprevent it turning, for instance by means of a spanner. The projections24 of the coupling part 2 are pushed into the bayonet catch 23 and areturned in the chamber 2| until the stop 25 is reached, .which is a pinintroduced into a bore in the coupling part I.

The cap nut I9 is then screwed on to the thread I8, engaging by means ofits bottom internal flange 26 in the external flange 27 of the part 2purpose asmall tubular piece 29 is inserted into the end of the openingof the coupling part 2, which is behind the ball chamber I0 of thelatter. This tubular piece 29 has two bridges 3| and 32, which, when thetwo coupling parts are united, lift the two balls from their seatingsand hold them in this position, as shown in Figure 3. As the stressingof the springs B and I3 may be different or as there may be pressuredifierences in the pipes behind the coupling parts I and 2, the tubularpiece 29 might be displaced by one ball or the other in the axialdirection, which might lead to one of the valves closing, if safetymeans for preventing this were not provided. These safety means consistin an outer ring flange 33 which, as shown in Fig. 3, can bear, orbears, on the one hand against an internal surface of the coupling partI, in the chamber 2|, and on the other hand against the end edge of theflange 24 of the coupling part 2.

On the two coupling parts being separated, the tubular piece 29 will bedisplaced under the pressure of the ball II, as its bridge 3I is nolonger under the pressure of the ball 6, towards the bridge 32. In orderto prevent the tubular piece from falling out altogether, itscylindrical surface is slotted at 34 and in this slot there engages apin 35 provided in the coupling part 2.

In the coupled state (Fig. 3), the two balls are therefore lifted offtheir seatings I and I2. As, when the cap nut I9 is gradually released,the packing 29 is loosened, but the balls 5 and II are still lifted offtheir seatings, liquid from the pipe might leak out over the packing 28.In order to prevent this, the tubular piece 29 is accurately fitted inthe ends of the coupling parts I and 2.

What we claim is:

1. A pipe coupling comprising two coupling parts, in each coupling parta valve, means for keeping the valves closed, when the coupling isdisconnected, a tubular piece overlapping both ends of the couplingparts and disposed between the two valves for keeping the valves open,when the coupling is connected, and a flange on the tubular piece,adapted to bear against the ends of the coupling parts for securing themagainst axial displacement.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which the tubular piece islocated between the two valves and the means for fixing said tubularpiece in position is a flange thereon adapted to bear against the endsofthe axial part.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which the tubular piece islocated between the two valves and the means for fixing said tubularpiece in position is a flange thereon adapted to bear against the endsof the axial part, and means in one of said coupling parts to retainsaid tubular piece therein when the coupling is disconnected.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which the tubular piece islocated between the two 5. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which thetubular piece is located between the two valves and the means for fixingsaid tubular piece in position is a flange thereon adapted to bearagainst the ends of the axial part, said tubular piece fitting slidinglyand tightly in said coupling and adapted to'act as a sealing meansduring the disconnecting of the coupling parts before the closing 01'the valves, and in which there are further sealing means between theends of the two coupling parts.

6. In a demountable wheel and brake assembly,

to the wheel axle. a fluid supply conduit, a pipe coupling connectingsaid conduit and said stationary brake part, said coupling includingseparable coupling parts one 01 which is connected to said stationarybrake part and the other to said supply conduit, and a valve in each ofsaid coupling parts, each valve being held open when the parts arecoupled and being adapted to close automatically when the parts areseparated, whereby the brake fluid is retained in the brake device aswell as in the conduit upon separation oi the coupling and removal ofthe wheel from a fluid brake device comprising relatively rotatablebrake parts, a fluid brake operatively associated with said brake parts,one of said brake parts being stationary relatively the axle.

PETER HIE-SCH. RUDOLF' KAISER.

